Garden Gab

Taking cuttings from your plants or dividing perennials to make a personal, thoughtful gift for friends can seem daunting but it is actually very simple and can be done with just a few basic tools and a few minutes of preparation.

Taking Cuttings

To take cuttings you will need:

• Seeding soil (this is the best mix to give young cuttings for quick growth and to eliminate the risk of disease)
• Sharp garden clippers (dull clippers will crush the plant rather than making a clean cut)
• A warm, moist container such as a terrarium or cloche

If you are new to cuttings, start with either a houseplant that has long thrived under your care or a plant with a semi-woody stem, as these will give you the most success. A plant that is losing its leaves or is long and lanky rather than bushy probably will suffer if you take a cutting or the cutting could be malnourished or diseased. Woody stems are harder to crush and usually snip easily.

Look at the top or newest leaves of your plant. About 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch below the leaf node, or where the leaf seperates from the stem, snip the plant stem. This is your cutting. You can place it in a glass of warm water for a few hours to stimulate it, but don’t leave it longer, as new roots formed in water will experience root shock and collapse when planted. Plant your cutting in loose, very damp soil. Place in a warm sunny place and cover with a cloche (or plant inside a terrarium).

Roots should begin to form within 1-2 weeks, but slow growing plants may not be ready for transplant for a month.

Dividing Perennials

To divide perennials you will need:

• A flower pot filled with soil or a hole in the garden for the new plant to go (do this before everything else, you want to get the plant into soil as quickly as possible
• A cutting or prying tool, such as a hand axe, saw or pitchfork
• A sharp spade or shovel

When a perennial has outgrown a pot or space in your garden, or when it develops a dead space in the center of the plant, it is time to divide it. Not only does this make another plant, it also helps both halves survive longer and be more healthy. The day before you decide to divide the plant, cut back the leaves about halfway (this will make the newly divided plant do less work to maintain itself. This is also why some gardeners prefer fall as a dividing time, because they will be cutting back leaves and tidying up anyway) and really soak the roots.

On the division day, try to start in the morning when the day is still cool, the exposed roots will dry out much slower than in the afternoon (even crisp fall days can turn hot in the afternoon). Starting in a wide circle around the base of the plant, roughly 4 inches out from the base, cut the soil about six inches with a sharp spade or shovel. Once you have completed cutting the circle, gently insert the shovel on an angle and try to lift the plant. If it is somewhat loose, work it out of the ground and lift the plant clean to the top of the soil. If the plant really resists, try digging the circle a little deeper, you want to get as much of the root ball as possible. Don’t shake out the roots, try to keep as much soil as possible around the roots to keep it from drying out.

When the plant is out of the ground it’s time to cut it in half. If the plant has especially woody roots, you may want to chop it with an axe or saw it in half. Plants with softer root balls can be prized apart with your hands or with a pitchfork. You may want to get a partner to hold one side while you pry the other side away. This process may take some time, but be patient, it will come apart. When your plant has been divided into as many pieces as you like, immediately replant or repot both plants and water. If you are doing this in fall, covering with a small layer of mulch can keep the moisture in the root system, if in fall, starting the plant in a shady area and then transplanting to a more sunny location can help the perennial regenerate faster.

Some climbing plants would not survive a harsh winter without help.  When the climbers you have worked so hard to entwine and encourage to grow up your trellis structures need to be protected, how should you proceed? In this post we’ll discuss the steps you can take to preserve your plants.

More than the actually cold temperatures, hungry rodents and dehydration are your plant’s enemies.  You have two optioons to deal with dehydration and freezing cold.  For dealing with rodents, any young trees or woody climbing plants (such as rosebushes or grapevine) should be protected with a circle of wire mesh or flexible, sturdy plastic.  Many greenhouses and garden stores will carry plast sleeves to protect tree trunks and any hard ware store should have wire mesh (the net needs to be close enough that  a small mouse or mole can’t fit through.  Either mesh or plastic sleeve should be long enough to circle your plant’s trunk and leave about an inch of space between it and the plant.  It should also be about 6 to 8 inches tall. Dig a small ring around your plant’s trunk.  It doesn’t have to be wide but should be 2-3 inches deep.   Place your protective sleeve inside the ring and fill in the trench to bury and anchor the bottom part of your sleeve.  This should prevent hungry rodents from resorting to your plant’s vulnerable trunk for winter food.

To deal with cold and dehydration, you can choose between two options.  The first is to get a large sheet of clear plastic, the same thickness as you would used to winterize your exterior windows (this can be found at many hardware stores).  Leaving the climbing plant in place on the trellis, wrap your trellis and plant with the plastic.  You should tightly secure the plastic with wall staples or tightly tied rope.  Make sure there are no big gaps as the arid winter air will draw moisture away from the plant through these gaps. Cover any exposed branches or roots with soil or mulch to further prevent dehydration and freezing. This plastic can be easily cut away when spring comes and will not require you to retrain your plant to the trellis.  If you are expecting a very cold, dry winter with little snow, you may want to consider the other option.  This requires a little more work but will protect your plant from severe winters much better than the first method.  You will need to remove the plant from your trellis, so the first step is to unwind or cut any clinging tendrils from the trellis.  Many climbing plants enjoy better growth after fall pruning, so don’t worry if you need to cut several vines.  After removing the plant from the trellis, gently lower it to the ground.  Cover the entire plant, root to tip with 2-4 inches of soil.  You can use soil from your garden, compost or potting soil is also fine.  The point is not necessarily to nourish the plant but to hold moisture in.  After you have covered the plant with soil add another 2-4 inches of mulch or straw.  If you remove the trellis for winter storage, remember to mark the spot where you have covered the plant so you don’t accidentally mow or plow over it in springtime.

If you, like many of us, dread being cooped up in winter and experience seasonal blues, you should consider container gardening through the winter.  Just the act of gardening itself, scientists say, has beneficial effects on brain chemistry.  What you grow can have an even bigger impact.

From the Ground up

If you are thinking of gardening with only potting soil or sterilized mixes you might want to reconsider.  As early as 2006, researches found a cheerful little bug that naturally occurs in soil called Mycobacterium Vaccae.  This tiny bacterium literally infects people with happiness.  Once M. Vaccae gets under your skin it boosts your brain’s seratonin level which is one of the chemicals that elevates mood and helps your body’s healing processes.  In fact, M. Vaccae is so effective that it has been used to help cancer patients bounce back from chemotherapy and treating fibromyalgia.

These bacterium are harmless except for infectious good cheer

  Just the normal activity of planting or repotting can help this little bug enter you It exists in soils around the world and has no harmful effects.  But you won’t find it in sterilized soils and potting mixes.  So go get some soil from your yard or garden to mix in with your potting soil.  Right now.  Before it freezes.  And then come back to see what else can help.

Superplants

Lots of depressed moods can come from imbalances in diet.  While all of these items are available at your grocery store, planting them instead will not only infect you with M. Vaccae, but will mean these fruits and veggies will be on hand for those days your bathrobe looks more comfortable than a trip to the store.  Some of them, such as herbs and citrus also do half their anti-depressant work with their pleasant and stimulating odors.  Growing them yourself will give you the benefit of these odors for many days before they are ready to eat or use.  Growing alfalfa, broccoli, green peppers, tomatoes and black beans can all be done in containers indoors.  Tomatoes can be hung in baskets to leave room for other plants while all of these other veggies can be planted in a long window box or deep tray and thrive.  These veggies have the same chemicals that make people reach for carbohydrate complex starches and desserts.  They will lift your mood without making you adjust your belt, which can be the key to avoiding the infamous holiday calories.  You can also grow dwarf citrus trees in a large pot indoors.  While citrus fruit does not directly affect brain chemistry, it helps your body absorb nutrients that do, such as magnesium, iron or thiamin. 

Your indoor herbs can also help adjust your mood while being useful in the kitchen or as an aromatic.  Lavendar, rosemary and basil are all excellent for reducing stress and elevating seratonin.  In fact, studies have shown that mediterranean diets which rely on tomatoes, rosemary and basil in a lot of dishes can have an enormous effect on mood.  Another aromatic that can help is jasmine.  Most jasmine varieties are large and utilize climbing trellises, however, the sambac variety is  easy to grow and manageable indoors, they are also easy to find at garden supply stores.

These are just a few of the beneficial plants you can grow indoors.  Of course, none of these can substitute a regimen planned by your doctor, but if you or your physician notices something lacking in your diet, consider planting a supplement rather than purchasing it.  Not only will your wallet be fatter, you will get the benefit of m. vaccae and lots and lots of sunshine.

Sunshine come on back another day

The third benefit of maintaining an indoor garden is exposure to sunlight.  Sunlight is one of very few ways our body absorbs vitamin D.  Lack of vitamin D can make us feel a little down or can be serious enough to cause seasonal affective disorder.  In the winter, even enthusiasts aren’t spending as much time outdoors as we do in summer.  So every bit of extra sun can help.  An indoor garden means you will be spending more time in front of sunny windows, inside a bright sunroom or greenhouse.  Take time not only to work on your indoor garden but to relax in it too.  If at all possible make it into a comfortable spot.  Add a chair or sofa, some blankets if it gets chilly, even a small breakfast table.  Make your indoor garden the new leisure center for you and your family so you will get the full benefit of aromatic plants and extra sunshine. 

An indoor garden need not be huge or complex, it can be just a few key plants, but it will help make  a happier, healthier you even in the greyest, coldest days of winter.

“For when to the heart of man

Was it ever less than a treason,

To go with the drift of things,

To yield with a grace to reason,

To bow and accept the end

Of a love or a season?” -Reluctance, Robert Frost

If you, like me, live in the chilly north, your garden is probably empty and covered or the last straggling potatoes and onions are waiting to be rescued from the first hard frost.  It’s early to get the winter blues, but we all know they are coming.  In garden speak, we ought to nip it in the bud.  To tide you over and kick that cabin fever, its time to start your indoor growing.  Its surprising what will survive and even thrive during winter months in a small planter or hanging basket.  House plants have served a multitude of purposes over the centuries both in northern climates where outdoor growing seasons are short and for urban dwellers where space is limited.  Supplementing kitchen gardens with potted herb gardens and medicinal plants has been popular since Roman times and potting flowers and decorative grasses hails from ancient Persia.

Today’s houseplants still serve the same purposes, though the plants grown may have changed.  Who doesn’t remember slicing open an aloe leaf from an indoor plant at least once to sooth a kitchen burn or bee sting?  With popular interest rising in both gourmet cooking and in knowing exactly where household food comes from, many homes have started both indoor and outdoor herb and vegetable gardens to supplement what can be found in the grocery store.  Current research shows that caring for houseplants, the aromas especially of flowering herbs and brightly blooming flowers all have a positive effect on seasonal mood disorders, and even clean shockingly large amounts of  harmful toxins from indoor air.

Whether you start with just one miniature tea rose plant in a styrofoam cup (as I did years ago) or surround your house with trays and baskets of green plants, the benefits of growing indoors can truly lift those winter blues.

Here at the Garden Gab, we’ll be doing our own indoor gardening, trying different plants, lights and pots.  We’ll let you know how our garden is growing and we hope you will leave us a note and let us know how yours is coming too.  Or even better, send us a picture of your plants in their interior home to dk.gould@live.com and we’ll proudly post them here at the Garden Gab!